High school shooting in Parkland FL

[henryp]

The problem with American statistics, is that America isn't uniform.  If you live in a poor minority neighborhood in the south, you're fucked.  If you live in a rural northern state, you get numbers in line with Scandinavian countries, where they also have a lot of access to guns.

It's also why national laws are kind of silly.  Taking away Vermonters guns will have almost no impact on Vermonters, because they aren't killing each other to much to begin with.  It's what Bernie was saying and getting hammered for.  Louisiana's problems are Louisiana's problems.  Not America's problems.  We're not a uniform nation.  It's why these statistics are often so dopey.  It's like telling someone in Iowa not go swimming because people are drowning in the ocean.

It's why that famous Newsroom speech was misleading.  Where he listed off how the US isn't ranked well in a number of areas.  America isn't the greatest country on earth for all Americans.  But if you've got enough money to live in one of the nice places, it's pretty great.  For the dumb blond who asked the question, she's going to be more than alright, despite the 'bad' rankings.

Europe isn't uniform either.... heck, just some 80 years ago, we were punching each other right, left and center!
And yet... most of us managed to agree that it's better to heavily regulate the public's access to these devices that can easily kill other people.
It's a mentality issue.... coupled with present day proliferation of guns that does nothing to help ameliorate said mentality, I know.
Our cities also have crime ridden neighborhoods, we also get wide expanses of near lawlessness due to sparse population.
And, hey.... we do have to live with Russia right next door.

Our criminals have a lot on the line.  The illegal trade business in the US has to be well into the billions?  10's of billions?  Maybe 100's of billions? So the stakes are pretty high.  It's not about Bob taking a tv from Jim.  Fisticuffs isn't really a viable option when it's billions on the line, rather than Jimmy stealing Ma's nice silverware.

And those people are never giving up their guns.  And if someone tried to make them, they'd shoot whoever did.  And then import some new ones.  It's a bit ironic that the poor neighborhoods get so much financial backing when it comes to killing each other.